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Health Ins. Companies To Cover Cost Of 'The Pill' For Female Subscribers In 2012

DETROIT (WWJ) - In August of 2012, health insurance companies will be required to cover the cost of birth control pills for their female subscribers without co-pays or deductibles. Will this increased access to the Pill lend itself to greater promiscuity among teenaged girls.

WWJ Newsradio 950's Pat Sweeting discussed the upcoming change with Henry Ford Hospital's Vice President Dr. Richard Smith, a long-time OB/GYN, who doesn't think that'll be a problem.

"Teenagers having unprotected sex already occur in this country. We need to discourage them from having intercourse -- number one -- and do whatever we can to provide them with information about safe and reliable methods to prevent unintended pregnancies should they decide to have intercourse. But, we're not encouraging them, at all, to have early intercourse," said Dr. Smith.

Opposition to the birth control guidelines is being voiced by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops which, in a CBS report says pregnancy is not a disease, and fertility is not a pathological condition to be suppressed by any means technically possible.

"We have to recognize that America has a problem with unintended pregnancies," said Smith. "With unintended pregnancies, often time have a higher rate of infant mortality, atopic pregnancies, unwarranted maternal deaths, that could be prevented ... that can be prevented by contraception."

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